Latest Wave of California Wildfires
Wildfires have burned through over 100,000 acres of land in Southern and Northern California as firefighters struggle to contain 8 separate blazes across the state. In just two weeks, fires have resulted in millions of dollars in property damage, hundreds of families evacuated and numerous casualties.
Instructors, click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Download the PowerPoint Lecture Spark for California Wildfires
Links
“Fast-moving blaze descends on Southern California – live updates”
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/fire-in-california-latest-maria-easy-getty-kincade-fires-evacuations-today-live-updates-2019-11-01/
“Southern California Utility Says Wildfire Started Near A Re-Energized Power Line”
https://www.npr.org/2019/11/01/775377062/new-california-wildfires-grows-to-over-8-000-acres-overnight
“Firefighters finally getting a handle on wildfires burning across California”
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-11-02/firefighters-finally-get-handle-on-wildfires-burning-across-california
“Bay Area’s wild week: What we learned from fires, outages and evacuations”
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/Bay-Area-s-wild-week-What-we-learned-from-14803896.php
“Most California Fires Over 70% Contained As Ventura Firefighters Contend with Drones”
https://www.npr.org/2019/11/02/775705225/most-california-fires-over-70-contained-as-ventura-firefighters-contend-with-dro
“How PG&E fell 10 years behind San Diego on wildfire safety”
https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/11/02/how-pge-fell-10-years-behind-san-diego-on-wildfire-safety/
Assessment
- Writing: Describe California’s historic struggle in combating the spread of wildfires. What specific policy solutions could be used address this decades-old problem?
- Debate: The California government should nationalize PG&E in order to modernize their energy grid and prevent future wildfires.
- Poll: Should PG&E be held partially responsible for the recent wave of fires?
- Short Answer: How can power utilities modernize their grid in order to prevent future fires in California?
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